


Belonging

by Seakays



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Canon divergent - alternative universe, EWE, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 13:13:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seakays/pseuds/Seakays
Summary: A Halloween slice of life featuring the Potter family.





	Belonging

**Author's Note:**

> **Prompt:**
> 
> Harry and Hermione sit on the floor after they've put their two children to bed, talking and stealing their kid's recently acquired candy.
> 
> This piece was written for Harmony & Co's Halloween Comp - Double, Double, Toil and trouble. All canon characters, plots, dialogue and situations from the Harry Potter series belong to JK Rowling. I am not profiting from this work.
> 
> Thanks to my alpha/beta.

"Incoming!”  
Laughing as his son leapt over the ottoman Harry deftly caught the little boy, tickling him into the navy blue couch cushions.  
  
“Stooooopppppppp Dadddddddy!” Hayden Potter shouted as he squirmed. Desperate to get away from his father’s tickling fingers, he cried, “Spiderman will catch you in his webs and you will be destroyed.”  
  
Chuckling, Harry lightened up on his tickles and exclaimed, “But I am the savior of the Wizarding World! Spiderman has nothing on me!”  
  
“Oh for the love of Merlin, Harry. Working with Draco has done nothing good for the size of your ego. “Reaching down to rescue her son Hermione quickly soothed her five year olds scowls.  
  
“Don’t you worry, Hayden. Spiderman is far too awesome to be beaten by the likes of your Dad. “Setting their still in costume youngest back down on the couch. Hermione smirked up at Harry and with a quick wink leaned over to brush her lips against his cheek.  
  
“Ugh, no kissing, Momma. Daddy could so beat Spiderman. My Daddy is a hero. Uncle Ron says so and heroes don’t need kisses.” Shaking her head at both hers son’s mercurial moods and at his godfather’s big mouth, Hermione quietly spoke with her husband.  
  
“I’ll wrangle this one into bed if you can spare a few minutes for Marie Curie up there.” Nodding at the ceiling, she continued, “She’s pretty devastated that no one knew who she was tonight.” Sighing loudly, Harry slowly climbed the two flights to his eldest child’s room.  
  
“Hannah, can I come in?”  
  
Silence.  
  
“Hannah, you haven’t even shown us what you collected tonight.”  
  
Silence…………again.  
  
“Hannah…..come on Hannah-Banana, open the door and talk to me.”  
  
“Don’t call me that.” came the whispered reply as finally the door opened, revealing ten year old Hannah Potter. Clad in her favourite owl pajamas and clutching CJ, her large orange cat, to her chest. “I suppose Mother sent you up here to talk some sense into me.” Her rolling eyes were accompanied by air quotes, leaving Harry to wonder yet again how he would survive her teen years when she had this much sass and attitude at ten.  
  
History had taught Harry well when it came to his daughter. He tamped down on his initial impulse to chastise her about her tone and just sat on her bed stroking her beloved cat behind his ears. About a minute later, Hannah burst into tears. She blurted out that Charlotte Armstrong had called her costume stupid. When she had tried to tell her who Marie Curie was, Charlotte had gotten all the other girls in their little clique to laugh at her. While Harry and Hermione were not particular fans of Charlotte, thinking her over-indulged by her parents, she was not usually a mean child, so Harry pushed a little further. Expressing his opinion that it was very out of character for Charlotte to react like that, Hannah finally confessed that the girls were all supposed to dress as Disney princesses and she had changed her mind at the last minute.  
  
“But princesses are stupid, Dad. Making stupid bad choices and then waiting around for a stupid prince to save them. Honestly. I don’t have to rely on anyone to save me.” Harry looked at her earnest little face and wondered, not for the first time, if living in a muggle neighbourhood was indeed the best thing for their kids. Hannah was right. She was a ridiculously capable child, gifted intellectually and magically. Both their children understood that they were magical, but Harry and Hermione had decided that the fascination with the offspring of The Boy Who Lived and the Brightest Witch of Their Age would be far too overwhelming, so they had moved to the village of Clovelly in Devon about six months after Hannah was born.  
  
They still made many trips into the Wizarding World, visiting with their friends and attending different events. They endeavored to keep things very low key and if possible out of the public eye. They loved their life in Clovelly, the kids were thriving, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that they were different from the average muggle child. Hannah would be attending Hogwarts next year and he would miss her but Harry knew that she needed to spread her magical wings.  
  
Picking his words very carefully, so as not to upset the delicate sensibilities of his pre-teen, he started, “Well, I guess you can see why the other girls might have been a bit miffed that you changed your costume last minute. I seem to remember seeing a Belle costume a couple weeks back in the closet.”  
  
“That was Mom’s choice. She said she was the most independent of the Disney princesses. But that’s the thing, Dad. Belle wasn’t a princess. She was just some girl who didn’t become a princess until she married a prince. Ugh it’s so stupid. I thought Mom was smarter than that.”  
All of this was said with a very dramatic flounce, discharging CJ onto the floor, who glared at Harry, holding him responsible for upsetting his favourite person.  
  
“Do not let your mother ever hear you calling her stupid, or you will be doing laundry without help until you get to Hogwarts next year.” Harry tried to keep his tone light but Hannah knew her Dad was disappointed in her. Hannah was aware that her parents were not like her friends parents. It wasn’t just because they were magical. It was the way they acted around each other. When they looked at each other, you could practically see the heart eyes on their faces. They were almost always touching when they were together. Even Hayden knew when their Dad was “the bad sad”, only their mom could make him smile again. Being mean to their mom was one of the few things that their normally easygoing father would not tolerate.  
  
Risking a glance at her fathers’ face Hannah sheepishly replied, “Sorry, I know Mom’s not stupid….Dad, I just…I guess I just wanted to show off a little with a special costume. Then it got all sideways and then Charlotte made fun of me. I probably should apologize.” Harry barely contained his smile when he saw the forlorn look on his daughter’s face. Apologizing ranked very high on Hannah’s “things she hated to do list”, right behind cleaning CJ’s litter box, and taking piano lessons.  
  
“I think that’s a brilliant idea for tomorrow. Now off to bed with you.” Kissing his daughter on the forehead, he grabbed the unemptied pillow sack of treats and gave CJ a quick pat as he jumped back onto the bed. Then Harry headed down a floor to see if Hermione had any success in getting Spidey bathed and into bed. Just as his foot hit the first step, he heard his daughter yell, “Go help Mom, I know Halloween is your special day, you weirdoes.”  
  
Chuckling to himself as he rounded the corner to Hayden’s room, he could hear the just slightly exasperated sound of his wife. “No you can’t wear your Spiderman costume to bed, Hayden. It is dirty and way too warm. You have your favourite Spiderman pajamas right here. They even have Doctor Octopus on them too. Ahhh, get back here, you little niffler.”  
  
Coming into the room Harry was greeted with the sight of his stark naked five year old on one side of the bed and his wife sprawled across his covers in a sad attempt at corralling him into his pajamas. Knowing Hermione was at the end of her tether with their youngest; Harry swooped in, scooped him up, deposited him on the bed, and had his Spidey pj bottoms on within seconds.  
  
Chuckling at his wife’s, “show-off”, Harry helped her up. He then tucked Hayden into bed with his Spiderman figure and grabbed Hayden’s candy. He all but flounced out of the room with a muttered retort of, “my job here is done,” and walked downstairs.  
  
Not five minutes later, Hermione walked down the stairs and stopped by the kitchen, where her very smart husband had poured her a glass of her favourite Chardonnay. Then followed the rustling sound of wrappers coming from the living room.  
  
“Please tell me that there are goo-heads in that massive stash of candy.” Harry laughingly nodded, always amused that Hermione had such a sweet tooth given the fact she was raised by two muggle dentists.  
  
Plopping down beside him on the couch, Hermione grabbed the nearest stack of goo-heads. She opened one and happily chewed on the nougetty confection. “These things are ridiculously delicious, thank Merlin they only come out once a year, or I would weigh an extra stone or three by now.”  
  
“Well you would still be my delicate flower,” chuckled Harry, pulling her closer to him on the couch. Resting her head on his shoulder. Hermione asked, “How did it go up there with the unreasonable one?”  
  
“Well, even though she still feels that Disney princesses are stupid, she very reluctantly agreed that she probably should have told her friends she was changing her mind on her costumes before they met for trick or treating. Hermione, you know she has very strong opinions and is rather passionate about them…..not that we have any idea where she may have gotten that from?” Harry’s laughter was contagious, and they both had a chuckle over their feisty eldest. However, Harry could tell that something was bothering his wife. “Out with it, Granger, why the sour look?”  
  
Taking a long drink of wine, Hermione stopped and started a couple of times. Obviously considering what she wanted to say. “Harry, I am so proud that she has a mind of her own but I do worry she is not going to fit in. I don’t want her to be like I was. A square peg trying to fit into a round hole. She has all the qualities to be a great leader but sometimes her confidence is off-putting to say the least.”  
  
“Hermione, she will have friends. She is confident but only because she is your daughter. And she knows enough Weasleys at Hogwarts to start her own quidditch team.” When Hermione didn’t even crack a smile, he continued, “and Talia, Gemma, and Precious will be in the same year as she is.” At the name of her goddaughter, Hermione did smirk. Only Ron and Luna would pick such interesting names for their children. Along with ten-year-old Precious, they had 16-year-old Pride, 14-year-old Princess, and finally 8-year-old Pecan. Molly and Arthur were beside themselves with the name choices, but somehow, they fit the eclectic Lovegood-Weasley clan to perfection. Hannah did love the massive Weasley clan but Hermione felt that she got along best with Talia- Neville’s daughter and Gemma (short for Gemini) –Draco and Astoria’s youngest.  
  
“You’re right, Harry. She will know a lot of people. Even if she ends up in a different house than everyone, I am sure she will make friends. I am a little worried about what house she will be sorted into. But if Ron and Draco can adjust, I am sure we can if our kids don’t get sorted into Gryffindor.”  
  
Harry grimaced as he remembered the reaction from Ron when Pride was sorted into Slytherin and then Princess went to Hufflepuff. His fits about it were only matched by Draco when 13-year-old Scorpius was sorted into Gryffindor two years prior. Harry laughed for weeks about it. Knowing Scorpius as he did he knew it was the right place for him.  
  
Watching as she opened yet another goo-head, Harry knew Hermione was trying to logic her way out of her worry and he loved her for it. While he always knew he was blessed to have found a partner who was exactly what he wanted and needed, on Halloween it really hit home. Harry knew he should thank every deity for giving him the gift of Hermione in his life.  
  
Harry loved every part of his life but it was neither an easy nor a direct path to where they were now. Right after the war ended Hermione had gone to Australia to find her parents, effectively ending her fledgling relationship with Ron. Hermione spent seventeen months down under working with her Mom and Dad to return their memories and to repair their relationship. It was emotionally draining. While the trio did keep in contact, their close friendship suffered for the distance. Feeling untethered with Ron working with George and Hermione half a world away. Harry had thrown himself into Auror training and dating Ginny Weasley. While his Auror career flourished, his relationship with Ginny had burned supernova bright and then spectacularly flared out in a complete mess of ash and embers. For a while after the breakup, all of the Weasleys struggled with Harry’s place in their family’s lives. Between Ron’s complete support and Ginny’s surprise relationship with Susan Bones the atmosphere settled back to what it had been like before.  
  
When Hermione finally returned to England with her family, she was eager to see all her friends and reconnect with her best friend, whose counsel and presence she missed more than she cared to admit. However, when Hermione came back she brought with her an amazing tan, her parents, and a boyfriend. Dylan Macdonald was an adjunct Professor of Literature at Brisbane University. He was muggle born and raised like Hermione and a brilliant quidditch player. Hermione’s parents adored him, Ron thought he was aces, and Harry hated him on sight.  
  
Harry despised every single thing about him – his height, the fact that he was a decade older than Hermione, the way he dressed, his job, which Quidditch team he supported. Initially he was not shy about sharing his opinion with everyone, especially Hermione. His aggressive distaste for the man that everyone else seemed to think was perfect for her baffled Hermione. It certainly did not help that Dylan responded to Harry’s aversion with equal loathing. Harry blamed Dylan for everything – that Hermione stayed away so long and that she missed Halloween, a day she knew was extremely difficult for him, but mostly for the fact that he didn’t get to spend any time with Hermione alone.  
  
For her part, Hermione was understanding and conciliatory with Harry at first. If he missed her half as much as she did him, then she could have some compassion for his surly attitude. Additionally, she felt horrible for arriving back in England after Halloween when she had promised she would be there for the 31st. She knew better than anyone did how challenging that day was for Harry and she had now missed the past two. Hearing Ron tell her how he had to remove a belligerent savior of the wizarding world from a nearby muggle bar right before he passed out in a pool of his own vomit last year made her feel even worse.  
  
However, Harry’s negativity combined with Dylan’s barely concealed contempt for her best friend pushed Hermione’s patience to the limit. Add in the stress of interviewing for jobs at the Ministry and helping her parents reintegrate back into their lives in England, she finally broke Christmas Eve, when a discussion about Hermione’s favourite wine devolved into an insult laden argument between the two men.  
  
Seeing Hermione’s distress, Ron grabbed the two of them, told them to get their heads out of their proverbial arses and act like they actually both loved the beautiful witch they had reduced to tears. While it was obvious that they would never ever like each other, the two wizards reached some kind of détente that night over a large bottle of fire whisky. Dylan and Harry remained pleasant to one another, and Hermione, desperate to keep the peace tried to ensure that the two men rarely spent any prolonged time together.  
  
Over the next few months, Hermione settled into her demanding job in Magical Law, and her parents seemed to regain their sense of balance back in Britain. Impressing Headmistress McGonagall with his credentials, Dylan secured a job at Hogwarts teaching Muggle studies. Harry was also becoming a very successful Auror. While there was never anyone serious, he seemed to date a never-ending stream of tall, blonde women, whose presence never failed to irritate Hermione.  
  
Harry and Hermione would later say that if not for Ron and Luna’s wedding they could very well have married other people. Luna had insisted that the wedding take place on October 31, as she felt that the added essence from the spirit world would provide amazing fertility benefits to the wedding rituals. Being the best man and maid of honour, Harry and Hermione quickly started spending more time together. Planning stags, showers, and other odd requests from the bride and her family. Without the pressure of placating Dylan’s ego and Harry’s many dates, the two reconnected in a way that they had not since the end of the war.  
  
Seeing his two best friends laughing and huddled together just like they often had been in the Gryffindor common room, Ron’s heart filled with a sense that all right again with the world. Still, he probably would have left well enough alone if not for one night about ten weeks before his wedding. Sprawled across the most comfortable couch in the Burrow, Ron watched his two friends, and was suddenly struck by how absolutely right they looked together. How it was simple and elegant perfection for Harry’s head to be in Hermione’s lap. Seeing her running her hands through his hair gave Ron the innate feeling that these two wonderful crazy people were completely and totally in love with one another.  
  
From that point forward, Ron became like a dog with a bone. Determined to look for more clues that his best friends were in love. It turned out to be ridiculously easy to see the signs. They were rarely apart in the ten weeks before the wedding and they were ALWAYS touching. If Harry wasn’t playing with Hermione’s corkscrew curls, she was brushing imaginary lint off his shirts, or straightening his perfectly placed tie. Whenever Dylan was mentioned Harry’s usually animated face would close off. Whenever Daisy’s name – the one blonde who seemed to be around more than the others – would come up Hermione would actually scowl. When Ron finally brought up his suspicions to his fiancée, Luna was not surprised in the least. Through a circuitous stream of consciousness conversation, Ron discovered that Luna had long suspected that Harry and Hermione were soul mates. That their auras both complimented and converged and something about the ability of their essences to mingle harmoniously. Not that Ron really wanted to think about that with respect to his two friends at all.  
  
So happy that it wasn’t just wishful thinking Ron plotted. He sent Harry and Hermione on endless tasks together without either Dylan or Daisy. Ron worked ruthlessly on Harry, commenting endlessly about Hermione’s beauty and kindness and how gorgeous she was going to be in her bridesmaid dress. So much so, that Harry accused Ron of still having feelings for Hermione. Assuring Harry he loved his Luna more than his mother’s roast beef, he continued to extol Hermione’s many virtues.  
  
Luna and Ginny, who had been roped into the plan, tried to find out from Hermione how she really felt about both Dylan and Harry. It turned out that whatever spark had existed between Dylan and Hermione was fading. Dylan missed Australia and it turned out that he and Hermione were having bitter arguments about the amount of time she was spending with Harry. Eight weeks before the wedding Dylan had had enough. He broke things off with Hermione, apologized to Minerva, and returned to Australia. He was surprisingly decent about it, telling Hermione that she was being willfully blind about her feelings for Harry and that the two of them were being ridiculous about never crossing that imaginary line of friendship they had drawn in the sand.  
  
Surprisingly, it had been Harry who was more upset about the break up than Hermione. He was horrified that Dylan could have walked away from a woman as amazing as his best friend. He continually offered to floo to Australia to talk sense into the man. Hermione was rather circumspect about the whole thing. With Dylan out of the picture and Daisy long gone the two friends became inseparable.  
  
Halloween day finally arrived, crisp and cool. The Burrow bristled with excitement and activity. Harry and Hermione worked tirelessly to make sure every aspect of the ceremony and celebration were perfect. With two hours to go they finally went their separate ways to get ready.  
  
Flashback  
  
“Luna, I still cannot believe that I agreed to wear this outfit.”  
  
Hermione stepped in front of the full-length mirror and audibly gulped at her mirror image. The dress was done in many shades of brown, choker style and sleeveless. The bodice was fitted to the waist, and then cut straight to the ankle. A slit on her right side slowed an almost indecent amount of leg. However, it was the back – or in actuality – the lack of back - that was giving Hermione many many second thoughts. Hermione’s back was completely bare from her neck to just above the top of her tailbone. With her long curly hair piled on top of her head in an elaborate up do Hermione felt ridiculously exposed. Although she had to admit that this dress was incredibly sexy and after being dumped not two months earlier, it felt good to feel attractive again.  
  
As she walked down the aisle decorated to the specific ideas of Luna and Ron with gourds and pumpkins and colourful smoking cauldrons, she happened to glance up at the altar where her two best friends stood. She saw Ron, her first crush, looking at his bride behind her with such a look of love that her heart filled to bursting. Then she looked at Harry and as he lifted his head and met her gaze, her heart simply shattered and the most amazing sense of completeness filled her. This gorgeous amazing man was her greatest love and her forever. Every single one of her illusions were ripped away and replaced by a love so pure that she had to laugh as she reached the end of the aisle at her and Harry’s naiveté.  
  
Whatever words were spoken during the ceremony became simple background noise to the pounding of her heart as she stared in to the eyes of the one person in the world who she could not live without. As Harry held out his hand and they walked together behind their good friends Hermione felt a sense of peace so unexpected yet so familiar and welcoming.  
  
While the Weasley’s extended clan celebrated around them with the children in costumes and candy everywhere, Harry and Hermione found a quiet corner to discuss their decade of obliviousness.  
  
“I think a part of me has always loved you but I was so invested in this grand platonic best friend idea. I couldn’t bring myself to admit that I was in love with you.” Harry shook his head as he tried to explain why here and why now. “All I know is that when I saw you today, I KNEW – capital letters and fireworks included – I just KNEW.”  
  
Smiling, Hermione spoke, “I felt exactly the same way. I’ve always loved you, Harry, but today when I saw you with Ron it was like my head finally caught up to my heart and it was like my entire being just said, finally.”  
  
“You know Ron is going to be insufferable? You know he’s been singing your praises for months now. I swear we didn’t need to go to all those cauldron cake tastings and ghoul auditions.”  
  
“Luna must have been in on it too which explains the last minute change to this dress. I think she was hoping seeing me half naked might just jump start your libido.”  
  
“Luna is now my favourite Weasley. That dress is HOT.”  
  
As the two of them laughed, Ron appeared in front of them with a huge grin. “First child….I expect to be Godfather and Luna expects to be godmother.”  
  
As they all chuckled Ron grabbed them into a sloppy three-way hug. For a brief second time stood still. “Come on you two. Monster Mash is on and I need dance company.”  
  
As they danced the night away Harry held the love of his life close and whispered, “I’ve always hated Halloween but now because of you it’s my favourite holiday. Bit of a weird thing to explain to our future kids.”  
  
Present Day  
  
“Harry….Harry…..please take these goo-heads away and hide them before I rot every tooth in my head. “  
  
Glancing at her husband, Hermione noticed the odd expression on his face. “What’s up, Potter? You aren’t devouring the Flake bars like you usually do?”  
  
Smiling at his wife, Harry tried to explain the trip his mind had just taken. “I was just thinking about how we finally got together. I wonder what ever happened to good ole Dyl-bag.”  
  
Rolling her eyes Hermione said, “Mom and Dad heard that he did get married a few years back. It was a big scandal as she was one of his students.” As she watched her husband smirk with undisguised glee, Hermione laughed, “he sure hated you but he was right. I was being willfully blind to my true feelings for you.”  
  
“As was I but everything worked out in the end. You and those two amazing tiny humans up there mean everything to me. Happy Halloween, Hermione, I love you.”  
  
Suddenly too chocked up to speak Hermione snuggled deeper into her husband’s side. She grabbed her wine and just one more goo-head, happy, content and in love.  
All was well.


End file.
